


Beautiful Bloom

by MiddayGiggle



Category: Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Genre: But it's PH so not so happy lol, Can we let Kieran catch a break already, Childbirth, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fan theories chat encouraged me to post this, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Focus on happy Lauki family, Gotta cope with the angst, I wrote this out of boredom and it ended up being too long, Kieran can't be around his child, Kieran gets very emotional over his child, Kieran is a simp what's new in that, Lauki - Freeform, Lauki Kids, Lauki has healed already, Lauki!Parents, Post-Canon, Really fluffy, Romance, SIMP!Kieran, Self-Indulgent, Slight Angst (really light worry not), Someone in the fan theories channel suggested Lauren dying during childbirth and we all went nO-, Sorry for breaking the Lauki kids headcanon it's for the feels, There's literally zero information about how they took down the PS, This is very poorly planned but it's cute so????, What happened with the PS it's very vague, You should only expect diabetes from this, enjoy, so here you go guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:53:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26480710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiddayGiggle/pseuds/MiddayGiggle
Summary: When the Phantom Scythe went down, so did their lives.But one way or another, the gods grant La Lune their reward.(or: I just wanted to write Lauki as parents)
Relationships: Lauren Sinclair/Kieran White, William Hawkes/Kym Ladell
Comments: 21
Kudos: 155
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank the shenanigans of the Fan Theories Discord chat, and their encouragement to post this XD
> 
> TW: Childbirth

Ardhalis is free. Lauren is free.

Kieran isn't.

The secret has been revealed, and now the whole city wants his head, and the citizens riot to have him executed. Hanged. That's a fitting destiny for him, apparently. Some suggest he ought to be beheaded, with his own sword, just the way he's claimed a hundred of lives. Hanbury street wakes to the sight of a million purple hyacinths, crushed, and the ones who've done this don't even care that the flower is the Monarchy's Emblem as well. They want him dead.

The 11th is shaken to know they had him so, so close. Is hard to wrap the image of their meek, handsome archivist being an assassin. For some reason, the least surprised ones are Will and Kym. If they knew before, Lauren doesn't know and never dares to ask, because she knows deep inside they know about her. They know she was Lune. Or at least one part of it. But they never lie, and yet, they never give themselves away.

The Phantom Scythe is long gone. Each assassin has faced their fate, secluded in cells for a lifetime, and then there are the ones who escaped. Why do people never ask for _their_ heads? The Viper is not imprisoned. Her corpse was found by the banks of the river, beautifully morbid, gone forever, and reunited with her victims. Viper venom.  _ What a poetic way to take ones own life away _ , Lauren thinks, as Belladonna Davenport disappears in a black bag.

Gone forever.

Just like Kieran.

She begged him to stay and even shed tears when she realized she was so close to losing him. She felt ridiculous for crying over that but decided to not mind it. Their path had been rocky. She now regretted bitterly how long it took her to forgive him, how long it took her to admit her own feelings, and accept his embrace, his warmth. He captures her lips one last time, before disappearing in the night. His figure is clad in a long coat and he walks away, and Lauren is too stunned to go after him. Just like the first time.

She didn't know she was pregnant.

It comes as a shock. At first, she didn't notice, assuming her grogginess came from a lifetime of sleepless nights. As if her adrenaline has run out. She couldn't stomach most food and often vomited, but she never thought it would be because she was  _ pregnant _ . She had thought it was because of the emotional stress.

She discovers it when she feels nauseated in the office, and rushes to the bathroom with the bile in her throat. Kym and Lila follow. Lila rubs her back and shoulders, soothing, and whispers comforting words, while Kym holds back her hair and cleans the corners of her lips with toilet paper. They stay with her all the way. Lila brings in some tea to relieve her pain, and they start asking. The look on Kym's face when she tells her everything she's felt lately is just priceless, and then Lila, while Lauren still sips her tea, ignorant of what is going through their heads.

Kym, always so tactful, is the one to ask:

"Lauren, have you slept with anyone lately?"

Lauren chokes on her tea.

Lila blushes and clears her throat. "What Kym is trying to ask is... If there is a possibility that you..." she's uncomfortable. Lauren can see it. "Might be... Expecting?"

Lauren stares at them, shocked at what they're suggesting, before going pale.

Yes, of course... She actually HAS slept with someone, but that someone is gone, and she holds to the memories of that night. Sweet as honey, vivid as fire. She remembers each second of it, just like he remembers every inch of her skin.

Lauren doesn't need to answer. They know.

She's expecting. She's expecting Kieran's child. The girls don't know it is Kieran's, though. They are all too shocked to ask who the father is.

She runs out of the bathroom. Lila's cup shatters. Lauren doesn't care. She runs out of the bathroom with Kym trailing behind her. Lukas sees her coming and traps her, later she realizes after Kym yells at him to catch her before she can go anywhere. Lauren struggles, but Lukas is stronger. She wants to go. She needs to breathe fresh air to digest the news, she needs to run all over Ardhalis and find him, find Kieran, and tell him. She's terrified. She had no idea what to do.

Kym hugs her. Under her breath she tried to comfort her, telling her it's amazing news, that she can't wait to be an aunt, and that the baby will be the most spoiled child of the 11th. She never asks about the father. Lauren vows to keep it a secret for a lifetime if she must.

Kym takes her on a stroll around the precinct. She breathes in the chilly morning. Autumn is underway. She starts counting months. April, more or less. Her child will be born approximately in spring if she can recall the dates right. Kym asks her if she wants something to eat, and Lauren gives in after Kym's speech about balanced diets during pregnancies. Slowly but surely, she swallows her blueberry scones, and Kym makes her laugh with jokes. She already knows who the godparents will be, and she hopes that wherever he is, Kieran agrees with her decision.

When they make it back to the Station, Will rushes to her to ask what's wrong.

"You'll be the godfather," she says, smiling. She then looks at Kym. "And you, the godmother. Would you?"

Will is puzzled. Kym bursts into tears and hugs Lauren, all too happy, while Will still fails to understand.

"I am pregnant, Will," she shrugs. "Surprise!"

Will is overjoyed as well, but he conceals his tears, refusing to cry in front of  _ Ladell _ .

Both Will and Kym walk her home, refusing to leave an expecting woman alone, and they laugh all the way as Kym chirps about her plans and everything she'll do with the baby. When Lauren asks, Will claims he'll teach the child piano. Kym vows to give a gun to the baby on their tenth birthday. Lauren laughs her head off. She's not lying.

"I mean it! They will be Ardhalis’ best shooter ever!"

"I swear to god, Ladell," Will barks. "Don't you  _ dare _ turn my godchild into a criminal!"

And while they laugh, Lauren bites her lip, remembering that the child  _ was _ the child of a criminal.

It is but when they get to her door, that Will says:

"You never told us you were dating someone, Lauren," she digs her nails into her palm. Will continues. "Have you talked to the father yet?"

"... No."

"Who is it?" Kym asks, and Lauren holds back her breath.

" **It doesn't matter,** " it is a goddamn lie. Of course, it matters. "We are... It's complicated, but he's far away and I'd rather keep it a secret."

"But he is the father, he deserves to know..." Kym frowns.

"I can't contact him. He is as good as dead, really," she curses in her mind.  _ Please don't be dead _ . "There's no way for me to tell him."

"What's his name?" Will asks, and she shakes her head, dodging the question.

"I better tell my uncle..."

"Lauren," Will catches her wrist. "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

_ It's Kieran White. I fell for Kieran White, and we made love, and now I'm pregnant with his child, but he will never know because he is gone. _

"He left, alright?" She swallows the knot. They notice. "He left and now I'm all alone, so I'd rather not talk about it. See you tomorrow."

And when she hurries inside her home, they don't try to stop her.

* * *

Her uncle was much more pressing, trying to pry a name from her. She did not give in. The father's identity, she kept a secret, and she pondered in the nights if he had any idea. He was an assassin once. He probably never thought he could make life happen after taking away so many. Did he ever dream of a family? She caressed her stomach, as if telling the child she was there, for them.

In the fourth month, a belly already started growing. She was given maternity leave once she hit the fifth (much to her protests, but Will wouldn’t have it). And in her reflection, she saw a mother. She saw a million possibilities, endless fears, and a crushing emptiness at her side. She hadn't heard of Kieran. Not once. Was he even in the city? She went to sleep wondering where he went, wishing he was there, feeling the movement of their child.

When she comes home the next day, she finds in her bed a bouquet of daisies and a small teddy bear. She thought it was from her uncle until she read the card.

_ The bear is for our child, and the flowers, they're yours. I am taking care of you. I couldn't be any happier. _

_ -K _ .

She hugs the teddy bear. In hopes to catch a glimpse of him, she glances out of the window, but the rooftops are clear and there is no sight of a man. The night has fallen in Ardhalis and she couldn't be happier herself.

* * *

The pain is unbearable. She was lucky her water broke while Will was there, or else, she doubted she would've been to the hospital as quickly as he took her. The nurse was whispering comforting words to her. Each contraction felt like an eternity, and she grips the blanket in absence of a hand to hold. She knows she could call any of her friends in or her uncle, and they would be with her all the way. But she refuses. She was ready from the beginning to give birth alone. She would only allow  _ him _ inside, and he wasn't there.

When it's almost time for her to push, the door opens and a nurse tells her:

"The father has arrived, madam Sinclair."

"Father? He isn't even-"

"I'm here,  _ mon amour _ ."

She jolts up and looks towards the figure entering. He's wearing the garments, including the gloves, and the cap, and the mask, all over a white shirt. When he sees her he practically runs. Lauren twirls her hand with his. He's there, she can touch him, and he is holding her.

Above the mask and through a pair of too familiar fake glasses, she sees icy blue eyes. A few unruly black strands of hair fall on his forehead.

He's there. Kieran's there, just in time.

"How-"

"It doesn't matter," he whispers. Lauren shakes with another contraction. It's almost time. His voice is low and soft, and he kisses her knuckles. "Did you really think I would miss the birth of my child?"

"They'll catch you," she whispers, panting because  _ it hurts so much _ . "They'll hang you if they do."

"I won't let them," he promises. He's not lying. He really means it. "But you don't have to worry about that. Let me handle it," his grip tightens when she groans. "All you have to worry about now is to bring our baby to the world, alright?"

"I'm scared," she confesses, holding his hand with all her might. He locks his eyes in hers.

"Don't be. Just push, alright? I need you to do that."

And so, probably for the first time, she obeys. With his hand firmly holding hers, she begins to push. All the way, Kieran is there. He rubs with his free hand her shoulder and comforts her when the pain is too much to take. Breathes in with her. He is there until they hear the cry. They both glance to see a crying, tiny thing, covered in blood. The doctor looks up.

"Congratulations!" He looks at Lauren. "You've delivered a healthy little girl."

"A girl..." Kieran whispers. Lauren covers her mouth with the other hand.

"Would the father like to cut the cord?"

Kieran reacts with a second of delay. "Y-Yes... Yes, of course."

And so he follows the instructions of the nurse, and daughter and mother are separated, and the nurse takes the child to clean her up and check her. Lauren lays exhausted. Kieran goes to her side again, and she notices he is holding back tears. She can sense the smile under the mask.

"You did it,  _ mon amour _ ," he tells her and she smiles. He wipes the sweat from her brow with a loving gesture. "You delivered our baby. Our daughter."

"Our daughter..." she repeats, exhausted. A warm tear slips down her cheek, and she isn't sure if it's hers or Kieran's. It doesn't matter.

The nurse brings the baby, wrapped in a white cloth, now fully clean. Smiling, she hands her to Lauren, and she holds for the first time her child as if she were made out of crystal. She was tiny. So, so small. Kieran sat next to her in the hospital bed, glancing down at the little girl.

"She's beautiful..." Lauren gasps, finally releasing the tears.

Kieran runs a hand over the baby's head where a bit of reddish hair grows. Auburn. Just like her mother's, her hair was auburn. Kieran had never seen such a beautiful baby. A tiny nose and thin, rosy lips, and the baby (his daughter, he couldn't believe it) curled into the chest of her mother.

He couldn't believe it. He was a father.

Lauren looked up at him. "Do you want to hold her?"

Kieran was awestruck, but nodded, removing the mask. She handed him the baby, and he tried his best to imitate the position of Lauren's arms. She laughed. He didn't know how to hold a baby, and she wasn't really expecting him to know. But he was being so delicate, so careful, as if only breathing over her would break her.

Kieran looked at the bundle of joy with loving eyes.  _ This is love at first sight. _

Lauren lands her head in the pit of his neck. Kieran breathes out his words: "She is so... tiny. So fragile..."

"She's perfect."

"Absolutely," Kieran whispers.

And then, she opens her eyes. Sadly they won't know what color they would grow up to be. For now, they were pools of charcoal that would turn into some other color in the days to come. But she opens her eyes and stares at them, in her vision nothing more than blurry shapes.

Kieran bursts. He is crying.

"What..." he swallows a sob. "What's her name? Have you thought of any names?"

She has, in fact. Kym helped her write down a mile-long list of baby names, both for boy and girl. She discards them all.

"I want you to name her," she whispers. Kieran looks at her, eyes full of emotion, lips trembling.

"Me?"

"Yes. What's her name, then?"

Kieran looks down at the baby and ponders as if picking a name was the hardest decision of his life. And yet, his life had been quite restless.

After what feels like an eternity of father and daughter staring at each other, Kieran smiles, all joy, and replies:

"Sophia. Your name is Sophia, little one."

Lauren smiles. "I love it," she caresses Sophia's cheek and the infant reacts to her touch. "Welcome to the world, Sophia."

Lauren asks for some alone time, and the doctor and nurses leave them alone. Before they left, Kieran asks them to keep from her friends that he is there.

"They don't really like me that much," he says, and Lauren sighs because he is not lying. Because her friends want him dead as well.

They comply and leave, and now they're alone in that room, and Kieran still holds Sophia, refusing to let go. Laurens makes more room for him in the bed and now they're both lying down with little Sophia nestled in Kieran's arm, between them. Kieran showers Lauren with kisses. Some kind of reward, and a Thank You, and maybe an apology as well. When he kisses her lips for the first time in months, she just melts right into the kiss and kisses him back. Sophia is staring at them, eyes wide. They look down at her, and they don't need to say it out loud, for they know they couldn't be any happier.

Lauren slips her hand into Kieran's, and their intertwined hands are placed in Sophia's stomach.

"Stay," she pleads. "Stay with us."

Kieran's face shows his regret. He kisses her hand.

"I can't."

"We can arrange it," she says. Kieran is tense, but he has yet to slip his hand away. "We can prove you're good man, and that you're sorry-"

"Sorry is not enough to pay for my crimes,  _ mon amour, _ " the sincerity of his voice takes her breath away. "We both know it..."

"I am a fighter. I am willing to fight. Please, stay with me, and with Sophia. Stay with us."

Kieran leans and captures her lips once again. It's salty. He's powerless, and devasted because he knows he can't be there for Lauren, he can't be there for Sophia.

"There is nothing I'd like more in the world."

They don't talk about it again that day. Lauren just wants to enjoy being there, with him, with her. A family. A particular family, that is clear. But a family nonetheless.

"Who would've thought we would be here," Lauren whispers. Kieran chuckles, running a finger down Sophia's chest and up again. The baby shakes, in apparent mirth. "I mean, you  _ did _ try to kill me. And so did I. Several times."

"I guess there really is a fine line between love and hate," he laughs. She follows.

Their bubble of happiness pops. There are quick knocks on the door, and then Kym's voice.

"Lauren! Lauren! Can we come in?"

"Crumbs," Kieran cradles Sophia one last time before giving her back to her mother.

"Wait a minute!" She responds to her friends.

He kisses Sophia's head, and then Lauren's lips. As he makes his way to the window, throwing away the hospital garments, he looks back to them.

"I swear, you won't be alone. I swear I'll come back, and one day we'll be together," he opens the window. "Wait for me, _ mon amours _ ."

Lauren nods.

"You know where to find us."

Kieran sits on the windshield. Tearing himself from them seems to hurt him physically, but he musters the courage.

"I love you both," he whispers before disappearing.

Lauren wipes the tears with the back of her hand. She's cried too much already. For her sake and the sake of her daughter, it's time to be strong.  Sophia stirs in her arms, like sensing her father's absence. She cries a little and Lauren soothes her, shushing her wails, before allowing Will and Kym in.

When they ask for the name, she takes her time to answer. Sophia. Her name is Sophia.


	2. Chapter 2

When she arrives back to the Sinclair manor, the staff is eager to meet the newest addition to the family. Sophia wears a dress of white silk, and clasps, sound asleep and with tiny hands the teddy bear Kieran left in her room months ago. No one ever asks where it came from.

Being a mother is confusing and nervewracking. When Sophia sleeps, the dawn could break with Lauren still staring at her tiny form. The maids advise her to rest when Sophia is asleep, but she can't bring herself to do that. She fears that if she falls asleep, Sophia might stop breathing. She's heard that happens with newborns. So she sits next to her crib for endless hours, watching her every breath, making sure it's regular, and jumping to the slightest noise her daughter could muster.

But Sophia is such a good girl. Considering who her parents are, it's kinda funny. She cries so little, and it becomes easier each time to figure out if she's hungry or if she needs a diaper change. When she smiles for the first time, Lauren's heart flutters, and she wishes Kieran was there to see it.

Almost two weeks pass by before - _finally-_ Lauren  _ properly _ falls asleep at night, facing Sophia's crib.

She jolts awake at the sound of her window opening.

Her first thought is Sophia, and so she grabs the dagger under her pillow and points it to the intruder. Not her daughter. She was ready to defend her daughter with her life if she must.

But she gasps at the sight of the intruder, who holds his hands in the air, smirking at her.

"This feels like a Deja Vu,  _ officer _ ."

The dagger falls next to the bed.

Before she can make a move, Kieran is already next to her, holding her between his arms and squeezing her tightly.

"Are you staying?"

"Just for a while," Kieran smiles at her, before leaning in to kiss away the disappointment that painted over her face. When they part, Lauren throws the covers off her and guides him over to Sophia's crib. He seems hesitant but lifts the curtain covering the crib and smiles at the little girl, who sleeps over a white comforter.

"She has your lips," Kieran breathes out, trying not to wake the child. "They're thin and rosy, just like yours."

Lauren holds his arm and lets him talk as he keeps finding similarities. His finger touches the baby like she was mist that could evaporate if he was too rough. Lauren knew this softness. He had been like that with her multiple times.

"And that hair is just like yours," he chuckles. "It looks a little darker, don't you think?"

"Mhmm..."

"I wonder if she'll have those pretty  _ pensive _ eyes of yours, darling."

Kieran blocks a kick and laughs.

"I’ve been wondering what’s she like," Kieran whispers, taking her hand in his. She curls her fingers around him, a gesture that even after months of being apart feels familiar and soothing. “Is she unruly like her parents?"

Lauren laughs. "No, in fact, she's quite a good girl."

"Figures," Kieran smirks.

"I know, I thought the same thing," Lauren shakes her head. "She's a really good girl. Rarely cries, only if she's hungry, and even then it is but soft wails. Anyone who looks at her falls immediately in love, or so Kym says."

"A charmer, just like her father," Kieran jokes.

Lauren bites back, sighing dramatically. " **Sadly** ..."

"Oi," Kieran's smirk grows wider. "Do not disregard my charms. Do I need to remind you how this baby came to life, hmm,  _ mon amour _ ?"

Lauren fights back the blush that threatens to creep into her cheeks. Instead, she flips her hair over her shoulder and scoffs.

"No need, I remember everything clearly," Kieran lifts an eyebrow. She continues, squeaking an eye open to glance at Kieran. "...  **Sadly, for me** ."

Kieran squints at her, jokingly offended. Laurens holds back a laugh. He recovers quickly and his response does not make her wait.

"Well, that is not exactly that you said then, I-"

"Could you.  _ Not _ ?" Lauren bites her lip as the blood rushes to her cheeks. Damn sure she remembers, but still, she hits his arm when he laughs.

Eventually, she laughs as well. It feels great to be together, watching over Sophia like guardian angels. One clad in white, one clad in black.  _ An angel and a demon _ , Kieran thinks, and wonders what would that make little Sophia.

Kieran stops teasing Lauren when Sohpia shifts in the crib. They both hold their breaths as Sophia stirs awake, opening her eyes directly at Kieran.

"It's like she knows when you're here," Laurens whispers. Moved, Kieran leans over and ever so gently picks up Sophia, struggling to hold her right. She curls in his chest and Kieran smiles at her, eyes misty with emotion. Lauren takes in how soft he gets. His stance is relaxed and gentle, with Sophia like he was with her when he stitched Lauren up, when he kisses her, when he caresses her. Parenthood suits him. Sophia looks even smaller against his tall and broad frame.

Kieran's voice is dripping with sentiment when he tells her: "Lauren, she's so beautiful..."

Lauren nuzzles his arm. "She really is."

"Like mother, like daughter, I guess."

Lauren refrains from hitting him for Sophia's sake. "Stop being embarrassing, god."

"Did I lie,  _ mon amour _ ?"

That won a blush from her. "Besides the point."

Kieran laughs.

Sophia starts crying.

Kieran panics.

"What- What's wrong?!" He cradles her up and down, slowly, in a desperate attempt to stop her wails.

Lauren chuckles. " **She cries because you embarrass her mother** ."

" _ Lauren _ ."

"I'm kidding," Lauren opens her arms, and Kieran places Sophia in her mother's embrace. "She's probably just hungry. Lock the door, will you?"

Kieran obeys and watches as Lauren sits in the bed, whispering sweet nothings to the baby in her arms. He approaches slowly, watching as Lauren lowers the sleeve of her nightgown and Sophia starts sucking, happily drinking. Lauren winces at first but then her frown softens as she watches her child eat. She sees him just standing there and invites him to her side, and he slips into the bed, too captivated at the sight of Lauren breastfeeding to their child. It's surreal.

He wishes he had charcoal with him because his fingers twitch to capture the memory. It's such a beautiful sight.

"Does it hurt?" He asks, softly, trying not to pop the bubble of calm that surrounds them.

"Less with each passing day.”

"I never thought I'd witness this," Kieran smiles, mouth still agape. "I never thought I'd see the woman I love breastfeed my child."

Lauren meets his gaze. Intense, deep blue...She doesn’t know much of colors, so she’s torn between teal and icy blue, but he’s the artist here. At least, she knows his eyes. She would identify them anywhere, he couldn't hide that from her. Eyes which look at her and Sophia with a thousand running emotions, a thousand untold regrets, and a thousand cherished secrets. She knows his secrets. And he knows hers as well. They spent sleepless nights sharing those secrets, and he told her about his life before the Phantom Scythe, and Lauren had found out with horror how short it had been before it all went down. And she told him about Dylan and her parents, Tim Sake, the Allendale Tragedy, and the lies she heard that day and decided to ignore. They kissed to seal a pact. Not a blood one, but a silent pact which stated that those secrets were theirs. Lauren's and Kieran's. And no one beyond them had to know them.

"I love you, Kieran White," she whispers. Kieran smiles in surprise at her sudden confession, but caresses her cheek and kisses her, softly, with a devotion that almost had her weeping.

"I know," he whispers back, his lips still lingering close to hers. "I love you, Lauren Sinclair. Thanks for showing me what love was once again."

They kiss again. Sophia seems satisfied and releases her mother, and Lauren instructs Kieran to pat her back while she arranges her nightgown. Kieran snickers at the blurp from Sophia and they lay in the bed until their daughter falls asleep, resting in the strong arms of her father. She’s in the safest place in the world and doesn’t know it yet. With all the gentleness he is capable of, Kieran stands back up and puts her back in her crib, staring at her for a couple of heartbeats before closing the curtain over her sleeping form.

He approaches Lauren again and she pulls him towards her, on the bed, and rests her chin in his chest.

"Stay?"

"I can't," he answers.

"Just for the night," Lauren brushes away rebel locks of raven hair. Kieran melts into her touch. "I don't want to sleep alone."

He gives in. And damn Lauren Sinclair, really, because he’d never been good saying no to her. Not when she so helplessly asked him something, a rare occurrence in itself. Not when her eyes shine like that and her hair frames her face like petals of a carnation, reminding him that she is something forbidden, but oh so desired. He gives in because he always will for Lauren Sinclair. "Alright, I'll stay the night."

He stands up to close the window and gets rid of his coat and boots. The daggers he keeps in his pockets -just in case, like always- cling when they clash against a table. He hesitates before taking off the belt to sleep more comfortably. He joins Lauren once again, and this time he lays down with his back to the window and facing the door, facing Sophia's crib. He slips under the covers and they met in the middle, instinctively melting into each other's arms. Lauren hugs his chest and buries her face in the pit of his neck. He smells like charcoal, sandalwood, and flowers, but the last one is fading quickly. More exactly, one specific flower. She slips closer to him, trying to capture his smell, to have it impregnated in her clothes and the sheets to remember him when he is gone.

Kieran hugs her back, tightly. Before they can drift off to sleep on the safety of each other's arms, Lauren mutters:

"Promise me you won't leave until I am awake."

Kieran kisses the top of her head. "I promise,  _ mon amour _ ."

* * *

He keeps his promise. He doesn't leave.

She wakes up to a lonely bed, still warm. She opens her eyes to see him sitting between the bed and the crib, staring fondly at a still sleeping Sophia. Lauren glances at the clock. Barely past six in the morning.

Kieran is too acute to her, for he turns around and gives her the biggest, brightest, and most genuine of smiles. He abandons his chair and crawls into the bed, pinning Lauren to the mattress with his weight only and placing loving bites into the pit of her neck. Lauren giggles. It tickles.

"Good morning,  _ mon amour _ ," he murmurs against her skin, biting softly a spot where jaw met neck. "Did you sleep well?"

Lauren runs a hand through his hair and down his back. "Perfectly," she responds. She bites her lip when Kieran finds a sweet spot almost at the back of her neck, blushing slightly. The bastard, he remembers. Kieran laughs at her reaction before pulling away.

"Now, we wouldn't want to get too carried away, would we,  _ mon amour _ ?"

She slams her hand into his face, pushing him away, and he falls into the mattress laughing softly, as to not alert anyone of his presence.

" **You really are the** **_worst_ ** ,  **subordinate** ," Lauren sticks her tongue out to him. He's resting in the mattress, his raven locks a stark contrast with the white covers, his slender but strong figure relaxed on top of the bed. His shirt was unbuttoned in his usual fashion, but it had opened one more button in the night, exposing a big part of his chest. He hadn't changed a bit from what she remembered and that was good, for she was fighting against stretch marks product of the pregnancy that had her internally screaming every time she saw them.

Kieran arched an eyebrow, smirking devilishly. "Are you checking me out, officer?"

Lauren sat right back in the bed, crawling over to him. "So what if I am? Do you have a woman waiting for you?"

"Well,  **yes, there’s a lovely lady waiting for me back at my family’s mansion** ," he jokes, but his eyes are traveling up and down her eyes and lips, and then venture further, down her neck and chest. They shoot right back up.

Lauren sits on top of Kieran, graceful like a cat, and bends down to kiss him. Their mouths collide, eager, and they kiss the months apart away. Caresses become more daring with each passing moment, breaths warmer and Lauren finds herself once again pinned to the mattress before she can remember how that happened. This time, Kieran's kisses go further down, from her neck to her exposed chest and down her belly and those hideous stretch marks at the end of her stomach. Lauren brings him back up, embarrassed.

"You don't have to be ashamed, love," Kieran goes right back down and kisses each line, pampering them. "Consider them your badges of honor for bringing to the world a beautiful baby, if you must. But don’t be embarrassed."

Lauren pulls him back up again, this time to kiss him fervently.

The world seems to disappear and for a while, it is just the two of them, reunited in a bed, behind locked doors. They try not to think that it can't be like that all the time. For just a while they don't care. For the moment they're just two lovers, two parents, two souls brought together. He reminds her what it feels to be loved so intensely, and she washes away his sins with affection and care.  When he wraps her again with his arms, she's got the idea he will never let go. She wishes he never did. Skin against skin, she traces shapes into his chest, half asleep, and content. He runs a hand up and down her side. He's covered their bottom part with the blanket and holds Lauren against him. They talk and exchange small kisses before Sophia wakes up, cooing for attention.

Kieran kisses Lauren before jumping out the bed and rushing to put his clothes back on and then runs over to Sophia with a wide smile. Lauren laughs. She lets him hold her for as long as he can and takes her time to get out of the bed and back into her nightgown.

Hair now in a low ponytail and fully dressed, she walks towards Kieran and nuzzles against him, enjoying his presence. Kieran tears his eyes from Sophia to meet hers.

"I have to go," he says painfully. Lauren's hands clasp him a little tighter. " _ Mon amour _ , you know I can't stay..."

Lauren bites back the rage at their situation.

"I can't put you in danger," Kieran touches his forehead to hers, Sophia snuggled between them, before Lauren can protest. "The city is after my head, and I don't mean only the law, Lauren. There are wicked people. People who are willing to do anything to avenge my actions. What do you think will happen to you and Sophia if they find out about you two,  _ mon amour _ ?"

Dread clasps at her heart. Not for her, Lauren is capable of defending herself, but for Sophia. Little, vulnerable Sophia. A reality she didn't want to accept.

"You're right," Lauren admits, lowering her head. Resigned.  _ She hates it _ . "Doesn't make it any easier, though..."

"Oh, Lauren," Kieran kissed her again. "We've always known that sometimes, the truth is uglier than lies."

They do.

Lauren sits down to feed Sophia again while Kieran gets fully dressed. Once ready he sits down again, in the chair next to the bed, and watches once again. He says nothing, just stares. It really seems so interesting to him, and she captures his expression in her memories. Somehwere in her mind, his every expression, the way his eyebrows tilt slightly upwards or his lips crack apart in a smirk, are stored in a precious box for her to keep with her at all times.

"Will you come back?" She asks. Kieran smiles at her.

"Of course. I told you, you won't be alone."

They stand by the window with Sophia in Lauren's arms. Kieran kisses the baby one last time. He takes a little longer with Lauren, enjoying the taste of her lips and the warmth of her skin before he has to leave the room and go back to the harsh reality where he’s still a criminal running from his demons.

"I have one last thing to ask you," she says before Kieran can leave.

"What is it?"

"What about her middle name?"

Kieran is taken by surprise.

"What?"

"Sophia's middle name," Lauren explains. "We'll register her tomorrow. She needs a middle name."

Kieran clicks his tongue. "I forgot about that..." he ponders looking at Sophia. Finally, he shakes his head. "Why don't  _ you _ pick her middle name?"

Lauren has an answer the next second.

"Daisy," she smiles. "I like Daisy."

Kieran smiles, all joy. "I love it. Sophia Daisy Sinclair. That sounds nice, right?"

“Something like Sinclair-White would be better. Sophia Sinclair-White.”

Kieran’s expression drops for a moment. “You know we can’t do that.”

“Which sucks,” Lauren growled.

“Which sucks,” Kieran agreed, nodding. “But it is what it is.”

When he leaves, past eight in the morning, he is a shadow running away, over the rooftops, across the chimneys, disappearing behind buildings. She stares at his back as he gets smaller and smaller, bathing in the warm morning sun until he is out of sight. Sophia lets out a little wail.  _ A daddy's girl, apparently _ , Lauren bittersweetly thinks. But she knows he'll come back.

And she couldn't be happier.

* * *

The maids let her constantly sleep in. Most days Lauren will abandon her chambers somewhere around nine in the morning to eat something with Sophia near, in one of the maid's arms, or in her moses, next to Lauren. The maids, however, love the baby girl and gladly look after her in the brief moments in which Lauren is unavailable. When she eats or takes showers or is too busy in her office, the maids volunter, be it the youngest or the eldest, to care for Sophia in her place. Knowing she's near, Lauren consents. Sophia is a friendly child and never gets complicated with the poor maids. Probably another reason they love her.

This routine, however, helps her hide Kieran's visits. He comes at least twice a week, in the middle of the night, when the Manor sleeps, and leaves in the morning. She never again locks her window. Most nights she'll sense him come in and wake up startled at first, before relaxing at the sight of him.  _ It's only Kieran _ , she thinks those nights and melts into his loving embrace again. Every now and then, she's too deep in sleep and he is too quiet, so he wakes her up with soft kisses in her shoulder. They talk and kiss and make love, and Sophia is reunited with her father one more night. When Kieran holds her, she falls quickly into sleep.  _ Protected _ . Lauren finds out soon that Sophia and Kieran have a bond that words cannot explain, and so she sits at the side, watching the two interact ever so softly.

With each passing night, Kieran's movements are more confident when holding Sophia, but they remain as gentle. He sits in the bed and lightly jumps her on his knee and she laughs. When Sophia laughed at Kieran for the first time, Kieran looked back at Lauren with teary eyes, and she laughed because it was hilarious how emotional _ the dreaded Purple Hyacinth _ got at his child. They realize Sophia has his smile.

The night before Lauren has to go back to work, he comes. She tells him how much it pains her to leave Sophia at home and how she wishes she could take her to the office. Kieran comforts her. He tells her that Sophia will be alright with the maids and that he'll be watching her. When Lauren asks, he doesn't elaborate. He just reassures her that it's alright to keep working, even more now that she has a daughter, and that she shouldn't beat herself over desiring to keep her job. The next morning, Lauren bites back tears when she gives Sophia to Dorothy, the newest addition to the staff, a middle-aged woman that from now on will be Sophia's nanny and tutor. Dorothy vows to care for Sophia as she were her own child and Lauren finally leaves, clad in full uniform.

At the end of the day, Lauren practically runs back home. Dorothy is playing with Sophia in the living room and she smiles widely at Lauren when the officer covers her daughter in kisses.

Surprisingly, Kieran pays her a visit that night. He laughs when Lauren tells him how many times she had to stop herself from leaving the office and going back home.

"Never thought of you as such a devoted mother before,  _ mon amour _ ," Kieran grins. "But I like it."

* * *

As the weeks go by and turn into months, Sophia's eyes begin to change. They lighten and turn first to grey. Then, they take a bluish hue Lauren gasps at when she notices. She is eager to show Kieran once he is back. The next night she is already awake when he arrives, and runs to him and practically drags him to Sophia's crib. She wakes up the child lightly and deposits her in Kieran's arms, who too confused cradles her until the baby opens her eyes.

Kieran breaks like a dam. Sophia is every day more like her mother, but those eyes... Undoubtedly, those eyes are her father's. And Kieran falls into the bed too emotional to give a damn about reputation, sobbing so much Lauren worries his eyes will pop out of their sockets.

When they make love that night, Kieran still cries. Lauren kisses away his tears and reminds him that Sophia is his child as well, and tells him that no matter how much she looked like Lauren, her eyes will remain the prettiest part of her. Kieran holds her so tight she thinks they'll become one. They could become one and she wouldn't mind one bit.

And so life goes one. Lauren no longer lives driven by hate and guilt. She lives happily. That’s something she thought she had forgotten how to do. But it's nice. She lives for a growing little girl and the clandestine visits of the man she loves. She lives because her life now is prettier than before and she has so many people worth living for in a city no longer threatened by the Phantom Scythe. She can toast with the living and drink for the dead, and still, she’s at peace, at once, and maybe that’s just what she had always needed.

Peace.

Every now and then, of course, frustration gets to her and Kieran, and they argue. Every day they work hard to ensure that Kieran can soon step out of the shadows and see first hand the growth of Sophia. Those nights are painful because pride is an ugly thing and they remain speechless for a long time. Then one of them gives up. They apologize and forgive and dream about a better world like they did what feels like lifetimes ago. A dream where they can be together. A dream where they laugh and cry and live like a real family, and there are lots of flowers. Not hyacinths, or at least, not purple ones. White ones are nice.  _ They have multiple meanings, depending on the color. Like white ones mean sincerity. _

_ Do you know what purple hyacinths mean? _

She does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red Carnations: Deep love and affection. Admiration. My Heart Aches For You.  
> Daisy: Innocence, Purity (duh)
> 
> You guys I don't think I have to explain what purple hyacinths mean right. I think we all know lmao.
> 
> Anyway, here's chapter two and I totally didn't work on this instead of practicing for my music test.
> 
> (Dorothy's name just came to my mind when I was writing it, there's not much story behind her, I just needed a name for the nanny)
> 
> Instagram: @middaygiggle_art
> 
> Until the next chapter!  
> -Midday Giggle


	3. Chapter 3

And time goes by. It seems to pass too fast for Lauren. Sophia is a year old and she has her father's beautiful blue eyes. They gleam like sapphires. At Sophia's little birthday party, the newlywed Kym and Will adopt a brief shock when they notice those eyes resemble the ones of a certain supposedly meek archivist.

Kym is the one to fire the questions in the next room. Lauren just smiles.

About time they figured it out.

Sophia gets a lot of presents on her first birthday. However, the best one arrives at night. When they go to Lauren’s room after bidding goodbye to everyone, Kieran is already there, sitting next to her desk, and drawing. Sophia laughs and extends her arms to _daddy_ and Kieran gladly grabs her and kisses her chubby face wishing her happy birthday over and over.

Kieran pulls from his coat a silver locket. The chain is a bit too long for Sophia but he puts it around her neck anyway. Inside the locket, there is a picture. It is Lauren and Kieran, dancing in a ball when he hand pretended to be an archivist, a picture Kym had taken in secret with some poor photographer’s camera. They loved it. And now it was Sophia's to cherish. Lauren takes the locket and promises to wear it until Sophia is old enough to take care of it.

"Of course, I couldn't leave the beautiful mother behind," Kieran says, all charm and smiles.

"It is, however, Sophia's birthday, and not mine."

Kieran produces a hair clip from his pocket. It is a gold hair clip of daisies. She loves it. He boasts about his good taste in jewelry and they laugh. Kieran pulls Lauren into the embrace and for a while it's just the three of them standing in the middle of a dimly-lit room, cherishing what they have and not stressing over what they can't have. Kieran and Lauren play with Sophia until she falls asleep.

While he puts Sophia into her crib, Lauren takes a look at what he drew. It was but a bouquet of multiple different flowers, held by two hands: a female one and a male one. Lauren realizes it's their hands, based on the little scars seen in their palms of a blood pact sealed a long time ago. Kieran slips his hand behind her and holds her against him, wrapping his arms around her waist and rubbing the tip of his nose on her hair while humming a foreign tune.

She remembers the first time she caught him drawing there. Sophia was about five months old and Lauren had had a particularly rough week, between work and an ill Sophia. The baby had recovered but Lauren was _spent_ . When Kieran visited and had woken her up, she poured her frustrations at him and he listened, her head against his chest, nodding to her and laying with her hair as he took in everyt single word she spoke. He _listened_. He held her until she fell asleep once again.

He had promised to never leave before she woke up, and it was a Saturday morning, so she had time to sleep in. Not really knowing why, she woke up and had opened her eyes directly at Kieran, who swiftly moved one of her pens over a sheet of paper borrowed from the desk. She stared a bit before he noticed. He flinched and hid the paper, always a bit reluctant of showing to anyone the one hobby he enjoyed the most and which had helped him maintain his humanity for so long. Lauren made use of her seduction abilities, which did _wonders_ on Kieran, to snatch the paper off his hands.

He had drawn her. In the paper she was lying in bed with hair covering parts of her face and the pillow, snuggled inside the blanket, a sleeve of her nightgown hanging and exposing her bare shoulder; all of it wholly made with ink. It was a beautiful drawing. Kieran displayed on his face the brightest shade of red she had ever seen on him. It was adorable. Lauren put the drawing aside, and kissed him with a bit too much eagerness, slipping her hands under his shirt and him holding with his her hips. He joked saying that if this would be his reward, he would draw her more often.

"Are there more of those?" Lauren asked, breathless, her hands wrapped around his neck while sitting on his lap.

Kieran blushed again. "A... couple..."

Lauren laughed, brushing her lips over his. "I can only imagine what you've drawn when I wasn't looking, hmm?"

The suggestive tone on her voice makes Kieran's grip on her hips tighten.

"My, my, officer," He smirked at her. "How _scandalous_."

He had confessed that it is, in fact, not the first time he's drawn her. The next time he comes by he brings lots of sketches. There are some that date back to when they were still _La Lune_ , sketches in charcoal of her, of them. Two pieces of a puzzle perfectly put together. A drawing where she had beautiful angel wings behind her back, one where she smiled back when he had promised to help her find Harvey's murderer. The very first genuine smile. A smile just for him. She asks the story of each drawing she can't identify.

"You know, most of the time, I just want to capture moments," he explained when she shows him a sketch of her pointing a gun. It's almost like seeing her own reflection threatening her. "I am constantly worried I'll forget these little fragments of my life if I don't immortalize them. Lose that grip on humanity, so I used to steal it from other people by drawing," he rested his head on top of hers. "I used to sit in a cafe or on a bench somewhere and just draw people around me. It calmed me after rough days."

She nodded, encouraging him to go on.

"After you crash-landed into my life," he laughed. "I drew you almost every day. I guess some part of me thought you would someday disappear and never again contact me, so I wanted to capture your expressions in paper forever. I wanted to keep the memory of my partner in crime."

"How foolish of you to think that," Lauren chuckled, shaking her head as if she had never thought like that herself. As if, back in the day, when they were brought together to take down a common enemy, she hadn’t thought once the deal was over she’d never want to see him again. How foolish of both of them. "Look at us now, raising a child."

"I _am_ irresistible, after all."

They bantered for a while before Kieran kissed her to silence her arguments. He pulled back, smirk dripping satisfaction.

"However, this one is by far my favorite one."

He fliped through the million pages. Lauren caught glimpses of sketches of Sophia before he stopped. He took out a carefully preserved page. It is a drawing in charcoal of Lauren breastfeeding Sophia, with Kieran sitting next to her on the bed, staring down fondly at them with his arm wrapped around Lauren and his finger prisoner of Sophia's little hand.

It's really the best one out of them. She takes some to keep for herself, but when Kieran offers her the one of the three of them, she refuses.

"You keep it," she insists. "It's your favorite and I have a hunch that you need it more than I do."

After that Lauren had helped herself to art material. Charcoals, sketchbooks, watercolors, acrylics, graphite, canvas... She makes sure to get him all of it. He is overjoyed at her gift and a big chest next to her desk holds all of Kieran's drawing materials and works he finishes there, most of them featuring Lauren, Sophia, or both. She told him that it was just so he could draw and stop wasting her ink, but it's only partially true. The art material leaves a resemblance to Kieran's smell in the room, which comforts her. It’s a win-win situation.

On Sophia's first birthday, he had pulled charcoal and a paper from the chest and had drawn that detailed drawing of their hands holding a bouquet. His charcoal-stained finger ran along her side, leaving faint traces of black behind. He planted light kisses along her neck and Lauren bit her lip to hold back a soft moan that rang in the back of her throat. He noticed.

"Thinking of something, _mon amour_?"

She turns to him and starts unbuttoning her shirt. His eyebrows shoot up with pleased surprise.

"I think we need a bath."

* * *

It is quite surprising she didn't get pregnant again. That would've been awfully inconvenient, but considering Kieran's constant visits it was almost expected to happen. It didn't. They were both really careful because if she got pregnant again she would have a lot to explain.

Instead, they settle with Sophia. And Sophia is everything they dreamed of as she grows. Kieran visits as often as he can and Sophia grows with a father always there for her that makes sure she has everything (although born in a rich family) and showers her with affection and care. Her first words? _Daddy_. Kieran is ecstatic and sticks his tongue out to Lauren, bragging about Sophia's first word. Lauren accepts her defeat, laughing. When the sun shines she is a single mother, but when night falls she has Kieran at her side and Sophia has a father.

She makes sure he never misses anything. From her first words to her first steps, it was all in front of Kieran, who thanked Lauren greatly for her selflessness. Only natural, she'd said. He deserved to witness the growth of his only child.

Sophia receives the locket on her fifth birthday. That night Lauren takes off the locket and gives it to Sophia under Kieran's loving gaze. Sophia watches him draw, one of her favorite things to do until she falls asleep. And Lauren and Kieran leave Sophia's room and retreat to Lauren's, just next door. That section of the Manor was now their private area, with their rooms plus an extra one currently unoccupied, Lauren's office, private bathrooms plus one in the hallway, and a small living room. Dorothy’s room was just outside the hallway, and Tristan was located on the other side of the story. The door to Lauren's private section was locked at night because they never knew when Kieran would show up, but Friday nights, Saturday mornings were a constant.

That night they walked back to Lauren's room and locked the door behind them. Sophia had a habit of waking up in the middle of the night and visiting her parent's room when Kieran was there, to snuggle with them between the covers. Which was alright for them, but it would be awkward if she were to catch them in the middle of _business_. And so the locked door bought them some time.

That night they snuggled in the bed as if Kieran wouldn't have to leave by morning. Five years. They had kept up this routine for five whole years. And after five long years they still felt so strongly for each other without living together at all, seeing each other only at nights and the few times Kieran hid in some alley and they followed, Sophia excited to see her dad in broad daylight.

"Any progress on your side?" Kieran whispered in her hair. Lauren sighed.

"I have found some ways Sophia could be of use for you, but-"

"I don't want her dragged into this mess."

"That I know."

"She's only five. She doesn't need to testify in front of a jury for her father, much less be there if they condemn him to-"

"Don't you. _Dare_. Say it," Lauren clenched her jaw. "Don't you dare..."

She could sense Kieran's frown. "Lauren, you have to-"

"I have to _nothing_ , subordinate," she huffed. "I _am_ getting you out of this mess. I don't care if it takes freaking decades. You _are_ going to be free."

Kieran held her a little closer, a little tighter. "I know, _mon amour_."

The fact that he did not lie soothed her heart. He did believe in her.

"We'll be a family, one day, I promise," Lauren dug her nose into his shirt. He smelled like charcoal and sandalwood. And flowers. And she didn't need to push back the smell of one of _those_ flowers because he hadn't held one in years.

Kieran kissed the top of her head with the devotion meant for a goddess. He did claim that she was his goddess, his sun.

"We are a family, _mon amour_ ," he chuckled. "A quite particular one, but a family nonetheless."

If she was his Sun, then he was her Moon, her cloaked shadow running over rooftops on an infinite quest for his freedom. A freedom she vowed to give him.

"What are your favorite flowers, Kieran?"

He shifted his head on top of hers before replying.

"I like roses, you know? They're just so classy. Elegant and yet so meaningful. The meaning also depends on the color."

From that night on, the once empty vase in a corner of her room, meant for purple hyacinths she refused to put there, was filled with roses. All of the colors. White, for purity and innocence, the color that forever persisted in Sophia's room. Pink, for beauty and sympathy. Yellow, for friendship. Orange, for happiness. Green, for hope.

And of course, red for love. Red for passion. Red for fire.

Kieran liked red roses a lot.

* * *

The solution to their problems was, surprisingly, thanks to the monarchy. Lauren had entertained the idea for a while now and when she told Kieran, he had been wary. If it worked, then they would be happy and finally reunited. If it didn't, Sophia would never ever see her father again. If it didn’t work, they lost everything they worked so hard to sustain for years.

They talked all night about it. They considered pros and cons, trying to consider every point of view, little arguments emerging here and there. It was risky. But for five years, they never had a better option. So they prayed to every deity that could possibly hear them when morning came and Kieran left. Hopefully, it wouldn't be the last time she saw him.

To get an audience with the King, Lauren had to pull about every string she had available. Tristan had agreed to help only if Lauren told him what this was all about and why Lauren needed so much to meet the royals.

"It's for Sophia," she said at first, trying to test the ground. Tristan loved Sophia beyond what words could express, serving as the grandfather the little girl never had the slight chance to meet.

"What would little Sophia have to do with all of this?" Tristan wondered, elbow in the desk and palm holding his head. They were in his office but Tristan sat next to Lauren, facing her, instead of sitting behind the desk. They had agreed a long time ago it was much more familiar like this.

Lauren grimaced. "It's so she can be reunited with her... father..."

Tristan was taken by surprise. "Her father? You've finally heard of him?"

_Here goes nothing,_ Lauren thought. _Please let this work._

"He's always known, uncle," Lauren began. "In fact, he's been there for Sophia since day one. He looked after me while I was pregnant. He was there with me during labor and has visited us multiple times a week for the past five years. Uncle Tristan, he's been an amazing father. Sophia _loves_ him."

Tristan’s jaw was about to fall off his face. "And why haven't you told us anything about this?"

"Because... He's... It's complicated, you see..." Lauren breathed in. "He's a fugitive, uncle."

Tristan was even more shocked. "A fugitive?!"

"I swear he is a good man, uncle..." Lauren grabbed her uncle's hand. "You _have_ to believe me."

Tristan was reluctant, but he seemed willing to listen.

"What's his name, Lauren?"

He dreaded the worst.

Lauren stared right into his eyes. No more fear. No more hiding it, not for them.

"Kieran White."

Tristan had to step back a while to digest the news.

"Kieran White?" Tristan blurted. "As in, Kieran White-"

"The Purple Hyacinth," Lauren stood up, fear replaced by confidence. Even her Uncle, the very Chief of Police, the man who always imposed himself to revolting crowds, would cave in under his niece’s searing gaze and confident stance. "Sophia is the child of _The_ Purple Hyacinth."

Tristan fell back into his chair, his niece towering over him.

"Explain."

And she did.

She told him of their first encounter, of the deal, of Lune. The Tower Massacre and their fight (not about the worst part, Tristan would flip if he knew), and then his sudden apparition at the 11th. She told him the rocky road to forgiveness and how they had realized they were in love. She told him of his past, his abduction, his connection with Dylan, and the vow he'd make to forever protect her. His life before the PS, as the child of a poor family in Ardhalis. A poor but a loving family. She told him how sweet he was with her and his breakdowns when the blood on his hands was too much to bear. And she showed him her Lune attire, forgotten in the depths of her closet, inside a dusty bag.

Tristan understood what she was getting at.

The Purple Hyacinth was not the monster everyone thought him to be. He – _Kieran White_ – had been one of the saviors of the city, his own niece being the other half of the vigilante duo. Kieran White was a hero. Kieran White was a man, an artist, a father, a loving partner.

Kieran White was not a monster.

It was a truth Tristan took a while to grasp, but he eventually did.

* * *

With her Uncle's help, she had succeeded. She got the audience and fervently exposed her case before the royals. Her proofs, the drawings, the Lune clothes, and her final blow: Sophia. Kieran had begged her not to take Sophia there, but she had silenced his pleas because Sophia was a better proof than anything.

The Queen herself had asked Sophia about her father. The girl, not completely aware of the situation, was more than happy to talk about the father she had been taught to never mention to anyone who wasn't her mother.

"And he comes home, and he braids my hair," she told the Queen and King, and the Prince, a teenager, also sat there, listening closely. "He taught me to draw and paint! Daddy is a very good artist! And he knows a lot about flowers! He loves roses, they're his favorites, and he always has a white rose for me. It's like magic, they just appear in his hand!"

Lauren smiles and notices the girl was warming the Monarchs hearts with her innocent tales. _Good_. Please, let it be enough, let it not be that she was sending Kieran to his demise.

"And I have his eyes! Look!" And she opened wide her azure eyes, proud of showing them to Ardhalis' rulers.

When the girl is escorted outside of the room, holding Dorothy’s hand, Lauren is left alone with the royal family. This was it. She was either getting what she wanted, or she was imprisoned for life.

"We cannot overlook Kieran White's crimes," the King begins.

Lauren clenches her fists behind her back.

"But we cannot overlook that he's done great for the city either."

Lauren feels like she breathes again after all the time she's spent there.

It is out of consideration that they are given a chance, out of mercy for the little girl waiting outside the room. If they agree not to send Kieran behind bars it is only because he was on the other side of Lune and consider his current state as fugitive punishment enough. The Royals are not pleased with the situation, but Lune has been publicly declared heroes. And the people wish to know their heroes. They also wish to have the Hyacinth dead.

Apparently, the Monarchs fear _La Lune_ more than they fear the people.

And so Kieran is given a chance. He will not be allowed to leave Ardhalis, at least not without explicit consent from a judge. He must show up in court every week. He must do community service, because that's the best they can give him without secluding him inside the Sinclair Manor. There will be a fine to pay. And the one thing that sends chills down her spine: He must make a public speech in front of the whole city regarding his crimes, and his actions as part of Lune, to appease the people.

Lauren is a little reluctant with this last bit but decides to retreat with victory. She bows three times, one for each member of the Royal Family, and leaves the castle with a document that testifies the arrangement, a document she has to bring Kieran to sign as well. The eerie warning rings in her ears.

"Whatever happens regarding people willing to take justice by their hands," Phillip had said. "We will not be responsible for. Law will be implemented if they were to try and harm you but we cannot ensure you the three of you will be safe."

She knows, however, they'll be fine. They were _La Lune_ , and no one was to lay a finger in either of them, much less in Sophia.

"If Mr. White causes any kind of trouble after the treaty is signed he _will_ be put behind bars."

She knows as well Kieran would never be stupid enough to cause any trouble. At least not trouble that could get him behind bars. She would personally kill him on the spot.

That night, Kieran is waiting in her room. Sophia runs to her daddy and hugs him tightly, and before Lauren can say anything, Sophia blurts it out.

"Daddy!!! Mommy said you can come live with us! The King and Queen said you were ok!"

Kieran's eyes go wide as saucers and he looks up Lauren. She shows him the document.

"We got the treaty!"

That night, Kieran hugs Sophia with one arm and holds Lauren in the other, overjoyed because he is finally free. He is finally reunited with the women of his life. Lauren decides not to mention the tears Sophia hasn’t noticed, her face buried on her father’s neck.

  
"I swear on heaven and sky I am _NEVER_ leaving you again," Kieran cries, holding them close and showering both Sophia and Lauren with kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it obvious I know next to nothing about politics? XD
> 
> (Also is it obvious I am silently praying Tristan is not PS? I just want him to be a devoted, worried uncle is that too much to ask?)
> 
> Anyway, chapter three! One more to go before we're done with this sugary road lmao. Next chapter will start off with a pinch of angst but it gets really sweet after that. I hope you guys enjoy the end.
> 
> Instagram @middaygiggle_art
> 
> Until next chapter!  
> -Midday Giggle


	4. Chapter 4

The speech is painful to watch for Lauren. Kieran stands before the Castle, Lauren and Sophia sitting behind him with guards at every angle, and before him, the citizens have crowded the plaza and the bridge. He says with pain in his voice every single name of the victims he's taken. His voice cracks every now and then as he extends his apologies to the families, to the innocent, to  _ Ardhalis _ . The crowd miraculously doesn't revolt, because he tells them about Lune, about the time he invested in taking down the Phantom Scythe. And though Lauren catches some wary eyes and nasty glares among the crowd, no one makes a move. Not there at least. The King steps front after Kieran and claims that the crimes of Kieran White will be paid with service to the community he harmed; that every citizen should thank him and Lauren Sinclair for saving the city.

Sophia asks who the people Daddy mentioned are. Lauren just kisses her head.

Maybe one day she’ll understand.

That night, Kieran cries himself to sleep between Lauren's arms. It was incredibly hard, he says, because he remembers the looks of every single person on that list before he took their lives. He claims not to deserve forgiveness. He spirals into his hellhole of self-hatred and remorse and all Lauren can do is hold him close and comfort him. He needs time to heal. Lauren cradles him between her arms until he's asleep, and holds him even when she is asleep herself. It was not the first time something like this occurred, not the first time she had to comfort him after nightmares or stinging regret.

He stays inside the Sinclair Manor for almost two months to let the scandal cool down. Kieran White's face is known far and wide. It is not a rare occurrence for them to stumble upon deathly glares or frightened looks whenever they walk down the street together, but they stop affecting Kieran after a while. He's accepted it. He knows people will forever think of him as the  _ monster _ he once was. It would take time for them to see the  _ man.  _ If that ever happens.

They get married in a private ceremony. As a member of the upper class, Lauren is expected to have a pompous wedding, with all the members of nobility. She refuses. They instead choose a small church and get married in front of their handful of friends and family. Sophia beams in her ring bearer role and tulle dress, her dark auburn hair decorated with a flower crown made entirely out of daisies. Kym and Will are the Maid of Honor and Bestman. It's not like Kieran has anyone to invite either.

They celebrate in the Manor. Tristan, Kym, Will, Lukas, Lila, Sophia, Dorothy, Lucy, and the Manor's staff –the ones who didn't quit after the scandal began– are their only company. They toast in the living room together surrounded by the music coming from the gramophone. Tristan cries. Kieran teaches Sophia the basic steps of tango under everyone’s amused eyes. And it is enough.

And they are happy.

* * *

Two months into their marriage, Lauren wakes up in the middle of the night realizing Kieran is not in bed. She lifts the covers and walks down the hall to Kieran's studio, the skirt of her nightgown tangling between her legs as she guides herself with instinct alone in the dark corridor.

As expected, he is there, running a brush softly over a canvas. He hums a tune she’s heard him hum to Sophia to put her to sleep. His figure is only lit by the candle he's placed in the table next to him to illuminate the canvas, and the soft moonlight glow that comes through the windows. When he hears the door, he turns to see his  _ lovely _ wife. He smiles. It's a smile of teeth and a bit of gum, a thing she's come to love just as much as his flirty, teasing smirk. It's genuine.

"Good evening,  _ mon amour _ ," he whispers. "Can’t sleep?"

"I should be asking that to you," she responds, entering the room and closing the door behind her.

"Well, you know me, darling. I am a night owl."

"Sure thing."

She knows he is as haunted by nightmares as she is. They both know that about each other. They don’t like to talk about what they see in nightmares, but they’re always willing to comfort each other even with the tidbits of information they offer, even if they know that Lauren’s nightmares are livid with fire and smoke while Kieran’s smell like flowers and fresh blood. And so she walks to him and wraps her arms from behind him, and he melts into her touch. Her hands stroke his chest absentmindedly as she stares at the canvas. Three hummingbirds. Two adults and a baby hummingbird. It is an adorable painting.

"It's adorable. I love the colors."

Kieran chuckles. "They hummingbirds sure have beautiful colors, right? They're really fast as well. Have you ever seen one up close? They're fascinating."

"Why two adults and a chick?"

"I think you know why,  _ mon amour _ ."

Of course. He has claimed Lauren and Sophia to be his muses. When he said that it had been half-joking, but since he was in the middle of drawing a portrait of Sophia in that moment, Lauren had taken his words at face value. He draws them with charcoal or paints their profiles with watercolors. They are always present.  _ Somewhere. _

This little painting, of striking grees, blues, and yellows contrasting with grey, apparently represents their family.

Lauren smirks. "I think you didn't count correctly," she releases him and stands before him.

Kieran arches an eyebrow, brush still on his hand. "I am  _ quite _ sure our family is of three, officer."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, yes!" He sets the brush aside and starts counting with his fingers. "It's, of course, you, my lovely wife, Sophia, my lovely daughter, and I," he frowns. "I mean, I could count Tristan in there, he is your uncle. But I'm referring to us three mainly."

"There is a fourth, Kieran," Lauren smiles. "They just haven't left my womb yet."

Kieran freezes in place, his hand still in a counting motion. Lauren kisses his cheek.

"You're going to be a father again," she laughs when he only stares. "Surprise!"

Next thing she knows, Kieran is holding her up in the air by the waist, crying in joy:

"You're pregnant! Oh, god, yes!" He spins her around. "We're having another baby!"

"Kieran put me down this instant!"

"We're having a baby!"

"Well, yes, you idiot!" Lauren wriggles in his grasp. "Quiet down, you'll wake up Sophia!"

He finally puts her down. "Lauren, I love you  _ so _ much!" And he brings her in for a deep kiss.

Lauren hugs him and returns his kiss.

"How long have you known?"

"A couple days," Lauren laughs, breathless. "Congratulations, Kieran White. You've succeeded in getting your wife pregnant in under two months of marriage."

"I  _ did _ get you pregnant before marriage, so," Kieran hugs her tightly again. "I love you so much, Lauren."

* * *

Laurens stares at the two people fencing in the yard. She arrives just in time to see the female stab the male in the chest after successfully throwing the blade off his hands. The male lifts both hands, accepting his defeat. Lauren claps at the fencers and the female turns to her and bows dramatically.

"Defeated by your own daughter?" Lauren crosses her arms. "Kieran, you're getting old."

Kieran takes off the helmet and pouts at her, strands of black hair sticking to his sweaty face. "Me? Old? Never!" He points an accusatory finger to the girl, joking. "She is cheating!"

Sophia, now sixteen years old, gasps at him with feigned offense. Her long hair sticks at her nape and forehead. "Me?! Cheating?! I would  _ never _ !"

"Your chess game with Nath says otherwise!"

"You  _ know _ no one can beat that little prick in chess without cheating, dad!"

"He's your brother, Sophia," Lauren bursts out laughing.

Sophia pouts in an expression identical to her father's. "That boy is  _ way _ too smart."

"Well, are my fencers tired already?" Lauren chuckles, pointing behind her. "The Hawkes will be here any minute and you  _ need _ to wash yourselves."

Sophia kisses her father's cheek before running off. She stops to kiss Lauren's cheek before going away for good, her faint steps running up the stairs, startling Dorothy.

Lauren turns to receive and approaching Kieran. He wraps an arm around her waist and captures her lips for a long while. Lauren enjoys the kiss while it lasts.

"That girl is better with that blade than me, but don't tell her I said that," Kieran chuckles.

Lauren clears his face from his characteristic unruly strands of raven hair. It's true, and that is because after giving his weapons to the Royals, he's rarely had the need to wield a sword (they keep one in the closet, for the intruders that every now and then try to come for them). When Sophia picked up an interest in fencing, he startled himself at how easily he fell back into the role of a sword fighter, how familiar the hilt of a sword felt on his hand.

It was a part of him that would never truly leave.

Lauren kisses his forehead to erase the frown he's pulled in deep thinking.

"I would  _ never _ do anything to hurt your pride, my dearest subordinate."

Kieran holds her a little closer, grinning. “Well don’t I have the _dearest_ superior, hm?”

“I believe you do, yes.”

He leans in to kiss her again but stops at the steps that have halted in the threshold. Kieran arcs an eyebrow to the intruder. Lauren bites the inside of her cheek to contain her laughter as the intruder gags.

"Ewww!" Eleven years old Nathaniel makes faces at them. He looks like a walking copy of Kieran with the black hair, but his eyes… They're of the striking aureate of his mother. "Sophie!!! They're at it _again_!!!"

"Deal with it, Nath!"

Nathaniel Sinclair-White runs away. As dramatic as ever, he fakes puking as he leaves. No matter how smart the boy was, he always seemed to find romantic interaction utterly disgusting. Proper of a pre-teen, they supposed. He also had a natural talent for the theatrics, and Lauren attributed that to Kieran.

Kieran and Lauren burst out laughing. He picks up his blade and disappears upstairs to wash off. After about twenty minutes, Lauren opens the door to see the Hawkes. Her friends had been blessed with a little girl of stunning blonde hair and eyes borrowed from her mother.

“Good afternoon, auntie Lauren!” Cecilia giggles before running inside the house yelling for Nathaniel to show up.

Will sighs. “Not again… Cecilia, be careful!”

“Okay, dad!”

“Sorry for that,” Will leaned in to kiss Lauren’s cheek as Kym giggled on the side, looking at the direction Cecilia had disappeared. “She’s… lively!”

“She’s my daughter, of course, she’s  _ lively _ , _Williame_ ," Kym laughs as she makes her way in as well.

"It is fine, reminds me of a certain young officer causing you strokes all over the office," Lauren laughs as they make their way to the living room.

Kym glares at her. "Oi, you calling me old?"

"You too, Kym?" They turn to see Kieran making their way to them, hair still slightly damp, but fully dressed. "Lauren's having some sort of moment of calling everyone old today."

"So rude!" Kym huffs, amused.

"Good to see you, Kieran," Will shakes Kieran's hand once. It took some time, but her friends had warmed up to Kieran eventually. Sorta. "How's teaching going?"

"Right now? Exhausting," he confesses, taking a seat next to Lauren. "But the kids at the ACU are great, so it's worth it."

Kieran had taken up teaching art at the Ardhalis Central University about five years back.

"Auntie Kym! Uncle William!" Sophia came running down the stairs and practically jumped into Kym's embrace.

"If it isn't my favorite goddaughter!"

"She's your  _ only _ goddaughter, Ladell," Will chuckles. "Remember Nath is Tristan's and Dorothy's."

"Oh, shut up, will you?" Kym parts from Sophia to take one good look at her. "My, but you get prettier every day! And even if they're not the same color as your mother’s, they sure are as pensive!"

Kieran erupts in laughter while Lauren groans. Right, Sophia had to deal with the same comment about pensive eyes as well. The teenager was also starting to get bored with the compliment. She only stood it coming from her close relatives and friends, which meant Kym was allowed to say it, and Kym  _ loved _ to say it just to annoy her.

Lukas and Lila arrived shortly after, followed by Lauren's fellow detectives, and Kieran's handful of friends from the ACU. Tristan joined them shortly after. Dorothy came into the room with Nathaniel and Cecilia, who had already stained her dress with mud. They dinned together to celebrate Lauren's 38th birthday.

Maybe life had taken a lot from her, but it had given her quite a lot in exchange. She was happy, after over twenty years, she was finally happy once again. She had a loving husband, two wonderful children, and a lot of good friends.

As the maids cut the cake and served it in front of each of the people present, Kieran and Lauren glanced at each other. They held hands under the table.

And they couldn't be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sips tea* Ah yes, it's so sweet.
> 
> It's done! As I said in the tags this is very self-indulgent and yes, I am quite aware that this is unlikely how the series will end. Scratch that, it's practically impossible. But I wanted to write some mushy stuff so here it is, just enjoy it.
> 
> Sophia and Nathaniel totally know about Kieran's past. The Phantom Scyther, The Purple Hyacinth, and Lune are the kind of things Ardhalis teaches at school.
> 
> Thank you all for the kind words and funny comments, you have no idea how they all have made my day time and again. I hope you guys enjoyed this little thing. 13000 words of pure fluff and a dash of angst.
> 
> Instagram @middaygiggle_art
> 
> Until next time!  
> -Midday Giggle

**Author's Note:**

> BY MERY:  
> midday: *posts fluff*  
> fwoot: *turns it into angst*  
> others: *turns it into some cursed ass content*
> 
> So yeah that happened last night in that chat lmao
> 
> Thank you for reading! Next chapter will be out soon! Until do tell me what you think about this.
> 
> Instagram: @middaygiggle_art
> 
> -Midday Giggle


End file.
